THE GIRL IN THE WOODS - A Ghost Story by Leanna Renee Hieber

Hello friends!

So when I was around 9 years old I invented a ghost story that terrified my girl scout troop. Little did I know then how it would influence the path of my life. 

So I wrote about this entirely true and utterly ridiculous scene from my youth over at Kensington's Between the Chapters Book Club. Check out "The Girl in the Woods"...

And if you haven't picked up a copy of A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, what are you waiting for? 

Happy Haunting!

Leanna

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS SADLY OUTDATED gets a new revision and audio book!

 Dear Readers!

Thrilled to share with you that earlier this year, my Steampunk / Dystopian / Hopepunk parallel narrative novella, THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS SADLY OUTDATED is now available in a new, expanded, revised edition digitally with an audiobook companion, narrated by yours truly, exclusively via Scribd.com! If you're not already a Scribd.com subscriber, you can sign up for a free trial! Go forth and check out this very cool story where the past saves the future!

About the book:

New York City: The Year is 1889.
New York City: The Year is 2089.

In 1889 a group of bold pseudo-scientists discover the "temporal current" and begin to view the distant futures that await the Empire City. In the future, all life as we know it has crumbled, leaving New York City a ghost town with a populous scrabbling to survive underground.
In the past it's up to an unlikely group of Victorians to preserve something of their world to save their future generations. In the future it's up to an unlikely group of survivors to take a leap of faith; discovering what their ancestors left for them with no more guarantees than love and hope.

Now available exclusively via Scribd.com in digital and audio!

And just in case you missed it, A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, that I co-authored with Boroughs of the Dead founder Andrea Janes, was a Bram Stoker Finalist for "Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction! Check out the amazing final ballot here. Thanks so much to the Horror Writers Association for this extreme honor. 

Christmas Ghost Story: A Gothic Duet with Edgar Allan Poe and Leanna Renee Hieber! "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" a sequel to Poe's "The Oval Portrait"

Darlings... I had JUST posted on Instagram about my Edgar Allan Poe shrine... And not an hour later, what launches? 

"Not More Lovely than Full of Glee", set on a cold December 24th in a distant past, my sequel to Poe's "The Oval Portrait", has launched as a back-to-back audio drama with its inspiration, thanks to the amazing folks at PseudoPod! 

I mean, look at the log line: "AUTHORS: EDGAR ALLAN POE and LEANNA RENEE HIEBER!" I nearly fainted. 

I'm so grateful to the PseudoPod staff for championing my work and creating this beautiful double bill!

 "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" is a Christmas 'ghost' story about what happens after the events of Poe's "The Oval Portrait"... 

It's now live, for free, via PseudoPod, in digital + audio! Donations to PseudoPod encouraged! 

Darlings, can I just say what a thrill it is, what an honor it is, what a joy it is to see a lifelong dream come true? To be situated next to THE legend, the man who remains my foremost inspiration, it is just the most *incredible* thing. It's impossible to put to words what it feels like to see my name next to his name. He is my everything. I would not be a writer if it were not for him. 

I wrote "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" for A WINTER'S TALE: HORROR STORIES FOR THE YULETIDE in 2020 and I had a dream that someday I'd see my sequel placed side-by-side with what inspired it. "The Oval Portrait" remains one of my favorite Poe stories, short and terribly chilling, and I felt I had something to say about the woman whose life was painted away... 

Listen / Read via PseuodPod in the Escape Artists Podcast Network! Happy Holidays! Happy Haunting! 

GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN, A Contemporary Gothic Romance in an homage to Dark Shadows, is here!

 

Friends! I am so excited to share this category-length Gothic Romance with you! Today GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN is officially out in the world! Tonight at 6pm at Goldspot Brewery in Denver we'll be hosting a launch party and sharing a spooky-themed beer brewed just for the occasion! We will be joined by Castle Bridge Media, the publisher of Ghosts of the Forbidden, as we discuss this new book as well as A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts! 

I'm so sorry to say that if you pre-ordered the book, Amazon lost your pre-orders so you'll need to order again, the publisher is just heartsick about this but it was out of our control. Thank you for your support! I love this book and hope to be able to continue this as a series, but we can only do so if the book is supported. So glad you're here and I remain so thankful to my amazing readers for keeping me going!

--

More about this book and it's glorious step-back, the book-within-a-book:

"If you love all things both goth and Gothic and want to see the mid-century-style Gothic romances brought into the modern day, you absolutely do not want to miss this." -- The Gothic Library

"FIVE STARS. I want to move to Glazier's Gap." -- Torie L, Netgalley Reviewer

"This book was right up my alley, Ghosts, creepy mansions, books and writing…sign me up!!!!" -- Beth J, Netgalley Reviewer

"Great gothic fun. Long lost ghostly romance in a spooky town with a tongue-in-cheek wink at the pulpy gothic novels of the 1960-70s." -- Madeleine D, Netgalley Reviewer

The only way I can describe it was rapturous." -- Lauren M, Netgalley Reviewer

She should run. But can she?

When newly unemployed writer Lillian Anders tries to escape her personal demons by running off to Glazier's Gap for a writer's conference hosted by a reviving Gothic romance publisher, she lands right in the middle of her own Gothic novel. Her life begins eerily reflecting one of the early-'70s "women running from houses" books in the publisher’s archive. Striking 19th Century ghosts haunt darkened halls and carriage-house mirrors, startling Lillian with dangerous secrets. As a hungry, violent force lurks in the mountains and the abandoned silver mine, Lillian’s presence rekindles old flames and reopens aching wounds. When charming journalist Nathaniel Lynd arrives in town, he and Lillian forge an immediate bond when intimate memories surface from another century. Evil forces that killed star-crossed lovers in the past seek to destroy Lillian and Nathaniel in the present. It will take fortitude, ingenuity and unexpected help from the strange town itself to make sure the demons of the past don’t destroy a passionate future; destined to set old wrongs right.

ABOUT GLAZIER'S GAP

Welcome to Glazier's Gap, Colorado-- a small, gossip-filled hamlet started by the mysterious owners of a now-abandoned silver mine whose unwitting rivalries set the town on a cursed trajectory. From an enormous luxury resort hotel destroyed years ago in a landslide- whose wreckage remains half-buried today- to unexplained fires in grand mansions, the town isn't known for good luck. It’s a place with a bright side, though: tourists visit its rickety old ski resort, hike shadowed mountain paths and locals attend its small college. There’s even a defunct book publisher starting up again. But underneath it all: Glazier's Gap is full of secrets and ghosts.

Order now via Amazon or in paperback from your favorite local bookstore!

Cheers and Happy Haunting! 

Happy Release Day to A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS!

The day is finally here!

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, co-authored with Andrea Janes of Boroughs of the Dead is now out in the world! Available in digital, audiobook and trade paperback, wherever books are sold! 

"Deliciously eerie.” —Leslie Rule, Bestselling Author

From the notorious Lizzie Borden to the innumerable, haunted rooms of Sarah Winchester's mysterious mansion this offbeat, insightful, first-ever book of its kind explores the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us—and why they haunt us . . .

Here's a little excerpt from my "Existential Questions" Introduction, explaining why I do what I do!

Please pick up your copy today! We'd love to continue writing about this intersection of women's history and ghost stories and we can only to that with your support! Cheers, thank you and Happy Haunting! 

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS National Tour!

Join us for A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS National Book Tour!

 New York! Denver! St. Louis! Salem! Online!

Sept. 27th Brooklyn 6-9pm

SPIRITED AWAY Launch Party!

Barrows Intense Tasting Room

In-Person Author Talk & Signing!

RSVP: http://Tinyurl.com/spirited927 

 

Oct. 4, Sleepy Hollow, NY 7pm EST

Washington Irving Memorial Chapel

at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

In-person Author Talk and signing!

 

Oct. 5, 6pm EST

Village Preservation Force

Broadcast of Leanna & Andrea’s

Book Talk at the Salmagundi Club!

https://villagepreservation.force.com

 

Oct. 6, 6PM EST

Savoy Bookshop, Westerly, RI

Virtual Event with the authors

http://MysticBooksInc.com

 

Oct. 11, 6PM MT

Goldspot Brewing Company, Denver, CO

Beer Tasting and Book Event

Book Sales by Tattered Cover Books!

http://Goldspotbrewing.com

 

Oct. 13, 6:30PM CDT

Buder Library, St. Louis, MO

In-Person Author Talk +

Book Signing with Leanna!

 

Oct. 17, 8PM EST

Swamp Fox Books, Des Moines, IA

Virtual Event with the Authors

http://Swampfoxbookstore.com

 

Oct. 19, 7PM EST

Bookwoman Books, Austin, TX

Virtual Event with the authors

BookWoman 

Oct. 20, 7PM EST

Monmouth County Library, New Jersey

Virtual Author talk

http://Monmouthcountylib.org

 

Oct. 25, 7PM EST

WORD Bookstore, Brooklyn

In-Person Author Event

In-Person Signing!

RSVP: http://Tinyurl.com/hauntedword

Oct. 26, 7PM EST

92Y Virtual Author Event

https://www.92ny.org

 

Oct. 28, 1PM EST

East Meadow Public Library, NY

Virtual Author Talk

https://eastmeadow.info

 

Oct. 28 7PM EST

Mystery to Me Books, Madison, WI

Virtual Event with the Authors

http://Mysterytomebooks.com

 

Nov. 7, 7PM EST

Morbid Anatomy Museum

Virtual Book Talk

http://Morbidanatomy.org

 

Nov. 10, 7PM EST

Harvard Bookstore, Boston, MA

In-Person Author Event with Andrea & Leanna

Moderated by Sebastian Crane

http://Harvard.com 

Nov. 12-13, Salem MA

Salem ParaConn at Salem State University

Leanna is a Guest of Honor!

Book Talk & Signing

http://TheShamanAndTheShowman.Com

 

About the book:

From the notorious Lizzie Borden to the innumerable, haunted rooms of Sarah Winchester's mysterious mansion, this offbeat, insightful, first-ever book of its kind explores the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us—and why they haunt us…

Sorrowful widows, vengeful jezebels, innocent maidens, wronged lovers, even the occasional axe-murderess—America’s female ghosts differ widely in background, class, and circumstance. Yet one thing unites them: their ability to instill fascination and fear, long after their deaths. Here are the full stories behind some of the best-known among them, as well as the lesser-known—though no less powerful.

Tales whispered in darkness often divulge more about the teller than the subject. America’s most famous female ghosts, from from ‘Mrs. Spencer’ who haunted Joan Rivers’ New York apartment to Bridget Bishop, the first person executed during the Salem witchcraft trials, mirror each era’s fears and prejudices. Yet through urban legends and campfire stories, even ghosts like the nameless hard-working women lost in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire —achieve a measure of power and agency in death, in ways unavailable to them as living women.

Riveting for skeptics and believers alike, with humor, curiosity, and expertise, A Haunted History of Invisible Women offers a unique lens on the significant role these ghostly legends play both within the spook-seeking corners of our minds and in the consciousness of a nation.

Pre-Order Wherever Books are Sold! http://linktr.ee/AHauntedHistory

Leanna's 2022 DragonCon Schedule! 13 Panels Across 5 Tracks!

Darlings! Here's my insane DragonCon 2022 13-panel schedule across 5 tracks!

I'll be talking A LOT about my upcoming non-fiction A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, coming 9/27 from Kensington Books! Pre-Order here!

Gothic Literature: Ruin and Evil

Time: Thu 07:00 pm Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length: 1 Hour)

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Homecoming Celebration

Time: Thu 07:00 pm (Leanna will arrive at 8:15)

Location: Savannah Ballroom Westin (Length: 4 Hours)

Masquerade Costume Party!

Foundations of Fear: Building Haunted Houses in Fiction

Time: Fri 01:00 pm Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Same Places, Different Times: Historical Urban Fantasy

Time: Fri 02:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Things That Go Bump in the Night (or Day): Ghosts & Spirits in UF

Time: Fri 10:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Spooky Tales and Haunting Music

Time: Fri 11:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Time Goes By: Pacing! (Writing Track)

Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Embassy EF Hyatt (Length:1 Hour)

Herstorically Speaking: Vanishing Women in History

Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

International Death Customs

Time: Sat 08:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Spies & the History They Affected

Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Herstorically Speaking: Women Who Beat The Status Quo

Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Augusta Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Thrills and Chills in YA

Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: A707 Marriott (Length:1 Hour)

Victorian Spiritualism: The Movement's Role in Society & Grief

Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

When not paneling I’ll be at Kelley Hensing’s Art Booth in the Hyatt Art Show!!

Happy Haunting!